The Interests of Others (#44 of 365+)

I apologize in advance for the following business analogies but at the moment this is the best way for me to mull over some things I’m having issues with this morning. The separation of Church and
State aside: If Christ’s church was an industry we wouldn’t qualify for a government stimulus package. By worldly standards the church appears to be having great success. We’re advertising in all open markets through every media outlet available. Our highest paid leaders live a jet-set lifestyle. The figures show that sales (conversions) are up while gross income (tithing) has taken a momentary hit because of current economic conditions (lack of faith). It has come to the attention of our CEO and founder (Jesus Christ) that training sales staff, developing customer relationships, and building brand loyalty (meeting for prayer, discipleship, and fellowship) is lacking. As a result we’ve lost our momentum (the Holy Spirit’s power), referral rates are at an all-time low (believers don’t share the gospel), and we’re losing clients to our competitor (many have turned to other sources of fulfillment). Our mission statement (The Great Commission) says that we’ll stand by the client throughout the ownership cycle (make disciples who fall in love with Jesus Christ and will want to make more disciples) but the way we conduct daily business (the way we live) shows that many of us aren’t aligned with our organization’s vision (many of us don’t have a connection to the head, Colossians 2:19). Should getting a fresh cup of coffee ever take precedence over attending to that human being who just walked through our door?!

I read somewhere recently that the church is “a mile wide and an inch deep”. We may be reaching out, but we’re not effectively reaching both out and into the lives of others, which takes a lot more intentional effort. The apostle Paul prayed the church at Ephesus and “all the saints” (that includes today’s believers!) would “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18). Today’s devotional verses show us how to take the first step in living this three-dimensional kind of life: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5). As Joni explained, “Humility is cultivated when you push others into the spotlight.”

Lord, may I live such a deeply three-dimensional life today that others will want to live it too. Amen.